The debt ratio of a business is one of many ratios that we use in valuation.

The total debt of a given business divided by it’s total assets is the debt ratio. For example: if your business has $478,000 in debt and $1,174,000, the debt ratio for your business is about .407/1 or 41%.

A potential investor may see this number as high or low and will factor that into his evaluation of the business. Some investors will not invest in a company that has more debt than assets, or a company with a debt ratio that is higher than 1.0.

For owners, this number is simply one indicator of the company’s financial health.

A simple application for you would be to calculate your personal debt ratio. If you have a similar ratio to the business above, I’d say that you’re doing alright!

Other related posts:
> Good debt versus bad debt
> How businesses deal with marginal costs and profits

March 23, 2010 · Posted in general spewing  
    

Everyone has heard the phrase “pass the buck.” This is where it comes from.

To articulate, marginal costs and profits relate to a change in how a business takes money in. If it incurrs a new cost or profit, it is called marginal. This is simply an extra or new profit or loss.

Passing the buck is passing it along to clients.

Think of each given business as a spaghetti strainer. It will catch things and let other things pass through. There are many examples, but I’ll go with a simple one: a wood shop.

A wood shop employoee, and usually the shop’s owner, works hard for the money. When they are rewarded with solid profits, they pay themselves. They are due a good wage for their good work.

Passing the buck typically applies to marginal costs. When a company has to pay a new fee, it is very often passed on to the customers. The forms of this marginal cost can take many different shapes.

Say the business must pay for a new insurance to cover accidents with some sort of furniture that is produced. This cuts the profit margin of the given piece of furniture. To attain the same profit on each piece, the price must be increased. The buck has just been passed.

This is how the rich don’t necessarily get richer, but the poor always end up getting poorer.

March 22, 2010 · Posted in general spewing  
    

A student named Phoenix recently wrote an opinion in the Collegian. I really liked his thoughts and wanted to share my thought on it.

His article was an explanation of his experience and thought on an event that offended a few people. I particularly enjoyed his contrast of both sides.

He writes:
“I recall learning while growing up that an apology is a simple courtesy when a mistake is made –– intentional or not.”

A simple and light apology will show the offendee that the other party doesn’t mean malice and would like to make things right.  This is pretty key, in my opinion, especially when someone becomes seriously offended. The reason being is that when someone receives an apology, they automatically react in a more open-minded manner. Ergo, they will be much more likely to receive your point of view in the particular situation where they were offended.

A couple of related posts:
> Thinking about thought
> Using the good to push away the bad

March 12, 2010 · Posted in wisdom  
    

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